World-Class Audio Products From New Zealand

Latest News

New Product Line-Up For 2018

Antipodes Audio has made a range of new changes to its line-up for 2018. Our biggest seller has always been the flag-ship DX - a product that has received many awards and is a
Stereophile Class A+ Recommended Component. During 2017 we focused on developments to expand the 'X-Series', with the first step being to launch the DX Gen3 using the V4 platform in 2017.
For 2018 we are launching the EX and CX.

This is the first time we have
expanded the X-Series beyond the DX and these new models fully deserve the title. The EX is similar in concept to the EDGE, and the CX is similar to the CORE, but the new models are made to
a much higher specification level and significantly out-perform the models they replace. While the EX and CX adopt the latest V4 platform, just as important are changes to the power supplies,
which are now internal, employ our new ODAPS2 technology and are specified at twice the current delivery capacity of the power supplies used in the EDGE and CORE.

Part of the design brief for the new EX and CX was for there to be more focus on how the CX and EX could work together, and this led to development of optimised Direct Ethernet
capability for each of the CX, DX and EX. This means you can connect one Ethernet port of, for example, a CX to the network to receive remote control instructions, and connect the second
Ethernet port direct to a DX or EX. This allows you to dedicate one unit to just the server app, and dedicate the second unit to just the renderer app, and the noise on the direct link is
minimised by the design. Removing the server app duties from a DX or EX dramatically improves their performance. The result is so superior that we call the use of a CX and EX together
the CX+EX Solution and we treat it as a separate product in its own right. Using a low-noise Direct Ethernet link offers higher performance than putting the communications between server
and renderer over a noisy network.

You can use any of the CX, DX or EX as the server , and any of the CX, DX or EX as the renderer. Or you can play direct from a CX, DX or EX to the Ethernet input on your DAC.

Visit the Models page for a full explanation of the differences, including the audio performance pecking order, between the X-Series
models. It will also make it more obvious why we offer the range of options that we do in the X-Series.

Alongside these developments we are launching the P1 Ripper Platform, designed for high-quality auto-ripping when fitted to a CX or EX. The P1 is also able to be added to an
EDGE or CORE.

We are also announcing the V4 upgrade timetable, and that the Antipodes cable range will re-launch later in 2018 - see below for more detail.

The Antipodes CX+EX Solution provides by far the best sounding solution Antipodes Audio has ever offered. The solution dedicates the CX to running the server app
and the EX to running the renderer app. The EX is a superb renderer, but its full potential is only delivered when it is performing only the renderer function and receiving
an excellent input signal. The increase in performance is dramatic compared to using either the CX, DX or EX alone. The CX and EX are connected by a Direct Ethernet
connection, minimising extraneous network "chatter" on the feed between them, each of the CX and EX is performing just the one function, and each unit has a dedicated internal
ODAP2 internal linear regulated power supply. Owners of a CX or an EX can easily upgrade to this solution by purchasing the other item. The units can be placed side by side
for a total footprint equivalent to a full-size component, and this enables a short Ethernet cable (of high quality) to connect them together. See the CX+EX product page for
more details

The Antipodes CX Music Server is an evolution of the CORE, but built to 'X-Series' specification level. It is primarily focused on state of the art
server app performance, and also achieves high quality renderer app performance. The CX uses our new ODAPS2 internal power supply technology. See the CX product page
for more details

The Antipodes P1 is an isolation platform for the CX or EX carved from a solid block of a special grade of alloy, that also houses a high-quality ripper.
The ripper uses the very latest laser technology capable of reading pits 100 times smaller than the pits on a CD. Connecting a P1 to a CX or EX enables the highest possible
rip and auto-ripping to the server's library. The P1 can also be used under a CORE or EDGE. See the P1 product page for more details

The Antipodes EX Music Server is an evolution of the EDGE, but built to 'X-Series' specification level. It is primarily focused on state of the art
renderer app performance, and also achieves high quality server app performance. The EX uses our new ODAPS2 internal power supply technology. See the EX product page
for more details

All Antipodes DX, DS Reference, CORE and EDGE music servers use our proprietary ODAPS linear regulated power supply technology. Antipodes has developed the second generation of
this technology, called ODAPS2, specifically for the new EX and CX music servers. ODAPS2 is based on the ODAPS technology employed in the external power supplies used with the
EDGE and CORE, but is double the current capacity and uses a design that dramatically reduces high frequency noise from the external environment (EMI/RFI) entering the
music server. This involves a different circuit layout and an innovative new power transformer design.

The Antipodes DX, CX and EX each have two Ethernet ports - allowing you to use one to connect to the network and the other to be used as a Direct Ethernet link to a renderer device.
Despite the simplistic claims that are often made about Ethernet handling of digital audio, Ethernet can introduce high levels
of noise into the receiving device. This is a key reason why a USB connection to a DAC will out-perform an Ethernet connection when the server is low noise - such as with
Antipodes Music Servers. But there are times when you will use Ethernet to carry a music signal, such as if you use a CX as the server and either a DX or EX as the renderer.
Another example is if your DAC has an Ethernet input and no USB input (making it a renderer device). In these situations, you need to connect two devices to your network,
the server device and the renderer device. The best way to do this is by Direct Ethernet. It means that you connect your server device (such as an Antipodes CX) to your network
using one of its Ethernet ports, and connect a short high quality Ethernet cable from the CX direct to your renderer device (such as a DX, EX or Ethernet DAC). The Direct
Ethernet solution in Antipodes servers minimises network 'chatter' on the link and creates a high bandwidth, phase accurate, low-noise direct link between the server and renderer.
This provides a dramatic improvement over connecting your server and renderer devices through a noisy switch or over a long length of network.

We originally planned to launch an upgrade program in October 2017, so that existing owners of Antipodes music servers could upgrade their servers for the new V4 platform.
Our customers understood how significant this new platform is and we literally received hundreds of requests for an upgrade. We were not prepared for this unprecedented
level of demand for upgrades, and had to delay the program while we manufactured more of the parts required to install the V4 technology into previous models. We are now in a
position to begin the V4 Upgrade Program and you can learn more on our Upgrades page. If getting this upgrade is important to you we recommend
that you act within the time windows set out for the process. We may or may not be able to run this program again and stocks of upgrade parts are finite.

We de-commissioned our wire manufacturing plant two years ago to re-build it to produce a new generation of wire. The technology
took much longer than expected to perfect and we ran out of a lot of our stock of the old wire earlier this year. We call our new technology
Open Lattice Long Crystal (OLLC). Traditional long crystal wire suffers from a poor lattice structure, as evidenced by its
relative lack of malleability and ductility. Lattice structure is considerably more important than crystal size and our old wire was based
on that principle. The new wire technology is based on more than two decades of research into improving the lattice structure in wire, and provides
a huge leap forward in speed, resolution and accuracy of timbre. The wire is extremely soft and that has required us to
completely re-design the way we make cables, in order to fully protect the wire from stretching, which would otherwise cause signal
reflections in the wire. The wire plant is now operational so look out for our new cables in the coming months.